Bricked Coffee Cup Sleeve

ABSTRACT

A hot beverage cup sleeve (“sleeve”) is disclosed. The sleeve includes a first section and second section each positioned adjacent to a middle section. The first section is positioned adjacent to the middle section opposite the second section. The first section is positioned on top of the middle section. The second section is positioned under the middle section, which includes a plurality of spaces and a plurality of ridges. The plurality of spaces and the plurality of ridges is positioned vertically in an alternating arrangement. The first section includes a first edge. The second section includes a second edge. The first edge forms a first opening. The second edge forms a second opening. The first opening is greater in diameter compared to the second opening. The sleeve is configured to receive a hot beverage cup.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/806,979 filed Feb. 18, 2019, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to food containers. More specifically, the present invention relates to hot beverage cup sleeves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hot beverages are typically served to the public in disposable cups made from inexpensive and biodegradable materials. To make these cups safe for a person or customer to handle, different types of cup sleeves have been utilized. Many such sleeves are also made of recyclable materials. To be sure, the ideal sleeve would protect the person's hand from excessive heat while keeping the beverage hot for an extended period of time. Coffee sleeves are typically made of textured paperboard but can be made of other materials. Coffee sleeves allow coffee houses, fast food restaurants, and other vendors to avoid double-cupping, the practice of using two (or more) nested paper cups for a single hot beverage. Some paper cup holders carry advertisements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a hot beverage cup sleeve attached to a hot beverage cup according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the hot beverage cup sleeve attached to the hot beverage cup according to other embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a top exploded perspective view of the hot beverage cup sleeve and the hot beverage cup according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a bottom exploded perspective view of the hot beverage cup sleeve and hot beverage cup according to yet still other embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the hot beverage cup sleeve positioned adjacent to the hot beverage cup according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the hot beverage cup sleeve positioned adjacent to the hot beverage cup taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 5 according to other embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the hot beverage cup sleeve. The first layer of the hot beverage cup sleeve is shown according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the hot beverage cup sleeve. The plurality of spaces and plurality of ridges are shown on the middle section of the plurality of sections of the coffee sleeve and cover according to yet still other embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the hot beverage cup sleeve taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 8 according to some embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a detailed view of View 10 of FIG. 9 depicting a close-up view of a middle section that includes a plurality of ridges and a plurality of spaces according to other embodiments.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure and are made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.

Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.

Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.”

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers. It should be understood that these headers are used as references and are not to be construed as limiting upon the subjected matter disclosed under the header.

Other technical advantages may become readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after review of the following figures and description. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.

Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly,” “outwardly” and “radially” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate. As used herein, the term “dorsal” refers to positions that are situated near, on, or towards the upper or top side of a structure. As used herein, the term “distal” refers to positions that are situated away from a structure.

The instant disclosure seeks to provide hot beverage cup sleeves according to preferred embodiments. Hot beverages are typically served to the public in disposable cups made from inexpensive and biodegradable materials. To make these cups safe for a person or customer to handle, different types of cup sleeves have been utilized. Many such sleeves are also made of recyclable materials. To be sure, the ideal sleeve would protect the person's hand from excessive heat while keeping the beverage hot for an extended period of time. Coffee sleeves are typically made of textured paperboard but can be made of other materials. Coffee sleeves allow coffee houses, fast food restaurants, and other vendors to avoid double-cupping, the practice of using two (or more) nested paper cups for a single hot beverage. Some paper cup holders carry advertisements.

FIGS. 1-10 depict various views of a hot beverage cup sleeve (hereinafter “sleeve”), generally 100, according to certain embodiments. In preferred embodiments, the sleeve 100 is a low weight structure that extends around the body of a hot beverage cup 110. The sleeve 100 is configured to receive the hot beverage cup 110, which is generally an open-top container used to hold liquids (e.g., hot liquids) for pouring and/or drinking. The hot beverage cup 110 can be made of Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, wood, stone, polystyrene, plastic, aluminum, similar materials, or combinations thereof. As reflected in FIGS. 1-6, the hot beverage cup 110 includes an opening 112, a bottom 114, and a wall 116. In general, the sleeve 100 is a roughly cylindrical sleeve that fits tightly over handle-less beverage cups to insulate the drinker's hands from the hot beverage included therein. The sleeve 100 preferably has an open-ended conical structure with walls angled to substantially match the shape and circumference of the hot beverage cup 110.

The sleeve 100 preferably includes a plurality of sections (e.g., a first section 120, a second section 140, and a middle section 130). In other embodiments, the plurality of sections includes more or less sections than disclosed herein. The sleeve 100 can be manufactured using a plurality of methods. The sleeve 100 is preferably manufactured as a flat oblong sheet structure having a circular arc shape. and the ends of the oblong sheet structure are affixed together (e.g., using an adhesive and/or mechanical fasteners) to form an open-ended conical structure. In others embodiment, the sleeve 100 is manufactured directly on to the wall 116. In certain embodiments, the sleeve 100 is integrated onto the full body of the hot beverage cup during manufacture. In other words, the sleeve 100 replaces the wall 116 in such embodiments.

According to preferred embodiments, the plurality of sections are arranged in a stacked configuration with the middle section 130 positioned adjacently between the first section 120 and second section 140. In other words, the first section 120 and the second section 140 are each positioned adjacent to the middle section 130, wherein the first section 120 is positioned opposite the second section 140. In preferred embodiments, the first section 120 is positioned on top of the middle section 130 and the second section is positioned under them middle section 130. When the sleeve 100 is positioned on the hot beverage cup 110, the first section 120 is positioned proximate to the opening 112 and the second section 140 is positioned adjacent to the bottom 114, according to preferred embodiments.

The first section 120 and the second section 140 include a first edge 150 and a second edge 160, respectively. According to preferred embodiments, the first edge 150 forms a first opening 710 and the second edge 160 forms a second opening 720. The diameter of the first opening 710 is greater than the diameter of the second opening 720, which provides the sleeve 100 its overall conical shape. In certain embodiments, the sleeve 100 does not have a conical shape and the first opening 710 and the second opening 720 have equal diameters.

The middle section 130 is configured to facilitate tactile adherence to the hot beverage cup 110 as well as provide thermal insulation. The middle section 130 preferably includes a plurality of spaces 520 and a plurality of ridges 510 positioned vertically in an alternating arrangement. Each of the plurality of ridges 510 includes a plurality of pockets 1010 arranged overlappingly in a row that separates the protruding ridge 510 away from the surface of the hot beverage cup 110 (i.e. the wall 116). As reflected in FIG. 8, each of the plurality of ridges 510 each includes a plurality of corrugations 810, wherein the plurality of corrugations 810 are each oriented vertically. The plurality of corrugations 810 of each ridge 510 is offset from the plurality of corrugations 810 of adjacent ridges 510. In preferred embodiments, the first section 120 and the second section 140 each have a smooth surface. In certain embodiments, the first section 120 and the second section 140 each have the corrugated design of the middle section 130, for example, to thereby facilitate tactile adherence to the hot beverage cup 110 as well as provide thermal insulation.

To insulates the drinker's hands from hot beverages in the hot beverage cup 110 the hot beverage cup sleeve 100 preferably includes a plurality of layers (e.g., the first layer 910 and the second layer 920) positioned adjacent to each other. The first layer 910 is preferably positioned adjacent to the hot beverage cup 110 when the sleeve 100 receives the hot beverage cup 110. The first layer 910 includes an insulating material, such as polyethylene. In addition, the first layer 910 facilitates adhesion of the sleeve 100 to the outer surfaces of the hot beverage cup 100 (i.e. the wall 116) and thereby prevent accidental detachment of the sleeve 100 therefrom.

Further, the second layer 920 corresponds to the outer layer of the sleeve 100 and is preferably made from light, moldable material, such as paper, paperboard, similar cellulose-based materials, and combinations thereof. In other embodiments, the plurality of layers includes additional layers. In some embodiments, the first layer 910 and the second layer 920 includes alternate material combinations to modify its insulating capabilities.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A hot beverage cup sleeve, the sleeve comprising: a middle section; a first section positioned adjacent to the middle section; a second section positioned adjacent to the middle section; wherein the first section is positioned adjacent to the middle section opposite the second section; the first section is positioned on top of the middle section; the second section is positioned under the middle section; the middle section comprises a plurality of spaces and a plurality of ridges; the plurality of spaces and the plurality of ridges is positioned vertically in an alternating arrangement; the first section comprises a first edge; the second section comprises a second edge; the first edge forms a first opening; the second edge forms a second opening; the first opening is greater in diameter compared to the second opening; and the sleeve is configured to receive a hot beverage cup.
 2. The sleeve of claim 1, wherein the plurality of ridges each comprise a plurality of corrugations; and the plurality of corrugations are each oriented vertically.
 3. The sleeve of claim 2, wherein each ridge of the plurality of ridges comprises a pocket that separates the ridge away from the hot beverage cup.
 4. The sleeve of claim 3, further comprising: a first layer; a second layer positioned adjacent to the first layer; wherein the first layer is configured to be positioned adjacent to the hot beverage cup when the sleeve receives the hot beverage cup.
 5. The sleeve of claim 4, wherein the first layer comprises an insulating material.
 6. The sleeve of claim 5, wherein the insulating material comprises a polyethylene.
 7. The sleeve of claim 6, wherein the second layer comprises paper.
 8. A hot beverage cup sleeve, the sleeve comprising: a middle section; a first section positioned adjacent to the middle section; a second section positioned adjacent to the middle section; wherein the first section is positioned adjacent to the middle section opposite the second section; the first section is positioned on top of the middle section; the second section is positioned under the middle section; the middle section, the first section, and the second section each comprise a plurality of spaces and a plurality of ridges; the plurality of spaces and the plurality of ridges is positioned vertically in an alternating arrangement; the first section comprises a first edge; the second section comprises a second edge; the first edge forms a first opening; the second edge forms a second opening; the first opening is greater in diameter compared to the second opening; and the sleeve is configured to receive a hot beverage cup.
 9. The sleeve of claim 8, wherein the plurality of ridges each comprise a plurality of corrugations oriented vertically.
 10. The sleeve of claim 9, wherein each ridge of the plurality of ridges comprises a pocket that separates the ridge away from the hot beverage cup.
 11. The sleeve of claim 10, further comprising: a first layer; a second layer positioned adjacent to the first layer; wherein the first layer is configured to be positioned adjacent to the hot beverage cup when the sleeve receives the hot beverage cup.
 12. The sleeve of claim 11, wherein the first layer comprises an insulating material.
 13. The sleeve of claim 12, wherein the insulating material comprises a polyethylene.
 14. The sleeve of claim 13, wherein the second layer comprises paper.
 15. A hot beverage cup sleeve, the sleeve comprising: a middle section; a first section positioned adjacent to the middle section; a second section positioned adjacent to the middle section; wherein the first section is positioned adjacent to the middle section opposite the second section; the first section is positioned on top of the middle section; the second section is positioned under the middle section; the middle section comprises a plurality of spaces and a plurality of ridges; the plurality of spaces and the plurality of ridges is positioned vertically in an alternating arrangement; the first section comprises a first edge; the second section comprises a second edge; the first edge forms a first opening; the second edge forms a second opening; the first opening is greater in diameter compared to the second opening; the plurality of ridges each comprise a plurality of corrugations oriented vertically; and the sleeve is configured to receive a hot beverage cup.
 16. The sleeve of claim 15, wherein each ridge of the plurality of ridges comprises a pocket that separates the ridge away from the hot beverage cup.
 17. The sleeve of claim 16, further comprising: a first layer; a second layer positioned adjacent to the first layer; wherein the first layer is configured to be positioned adjacent to the hot beverage cup when the sleeve receives the hot beverage cup.
 18. The sleeve of claim 17, wherein the first layer comprises an insulating material.
 19. The sleeve of claim 18, wherein the insulating material comprises a polyethylene.
 20. The sleeve of claim 19, wherein the second layer comprises paper. 